Henceforth, Nigeria will not need to depend on grease from the petrochemical industry as the Raw Materials Research and Development Council has announced a breakthrough in the use biodegradable raw materials in the local manufacture of the product.
Not only has the product been tested and certified both locally and internationally, it has also been put into the market by a Nigerian company.
Director-General of RMRDC, Prof. Peter Onwualu who made the announcement while speaking to newsmen in Abuja said the product resulted from research collaboration between RMRDC and the National Automotive Council.
He said, “We have made breakthrough in the area of raw material for making grease. Grease is a product that is used in the automobile industry for lubrication. Conventionally, grease comes from petrochemicals but we also know that currently we have some challenges in the petrochemical sector.
“This research was started from the point of view of making grease from biodegradable materials. RMRDC and NAC have a standing agreement and a partnership. It is a partnership to promote research and development of components of the automobile industry.
“Every year, in the partnership with NAC, we call for proposals; target a particular component in the auto industry and give grants to researchers. In the past, we had reported that we have come up with a new way of making brake pads using palm kernel shells. We are still battling with commercialising that breakthrough so that the product can be in the market.”
He added, “Another breakthrough from this partnership is that a grant was given to a researcher and he came up with how to make grease from biodegradable materials. This has been tested. In fact, it has been tested abroad to make sure that the grease that is produced can compare with international standards.
“The interesting thing is that a company has been able to commercialise it. A Nigerian company has been able to pick up this and is now producing grease that is in the market based on this research work.
“This is one of the things that encourage us as researchers – that a Nigerian company comes up with an idea and a Nigerian company is able to work with this researcher to get this product into the market.
“This grease is already in the market and we believe that it is going to be a good alternative to existing grease in the market. The beauty of it is that it is from biological material; in other words, it is renewable. The biological material can be grown and the raw material can be assured on a sustainable basis.”
Although Onwualu declined to mention neither the company nor the researcher involved in the work because of non-disclosure agreement, he said the original Memorandum of Understanding signed by the parties spelled out the benefits of the researcher in the commercial venture.
He added that the grease from the biodegradable materials was more environmental friendly than the one produced from petrochemicals.